Phin, there were a couple calls early that went for LA that I scratched my head about, but there have been multiple calls that have not gotten called on Boston that should have. I've counted multiple offensive goaltends that were not called and plenty of 50/50 no calls that were called on LA.

I guess you see what you want. The 4th foul on Kobe could have been a charge on Pierce and the foul on Allen when Kobe was shooting a 3 was on the follow through and shouldn't have counted. Back to back bad calls, call it a draw.

This is a great series. Good win by Boston. They just wanted it more tonight. Nothing went right for LA down the stretch. Bynum and Kobe need the extra day of rest. Hopefully we can go back to LA up 3-2.

LA is the better team, at least they have played better for this series. Boston had a hot Ray Allen, and put together a 4th quarter to even this thing up. For the most part though, its been all LA. The best team doesn't always win, but suspect the Lakers will pull this out in 7. I don't think Boston will lose game 5 at home. I agree, great series.

LA is the better team, at least they have played better for this series. Boston had a hot Ray Allen, and put together a 4th quarter to even this thing up. For the most part though, its been all LA. The best team doesn't always win, but suspect the Lakers will pull this out in 7. I don't think Boston will lose game 5 at home. I agree, great series.

Entering the series I only had one legit concern; Bynum's health. We saw last night how a Bynum-less Laker team fairs inside. Davis dominated us and I was having flashbacks of 2008 every defensive possession.

I agree the Lakers are a better team, and also have the best 2 players in the series. I think the Celtics right now are doing a good job of doing just enough to keep up with the big heavy weight. In the end though, I think Tyson comes through with a dominant finish to close it out. I'm going to stick to my original Lakers in 6, but game 5 will be an awfully tough win.

Well Celtics up 3-2 heading back to LA. I must say I didn't expect this, Celtics have played much better the past couple games than they started the series. I still think this thing goes 7, but I'm not nearly as certain LA wins this as I was before.GO CELTS!!!

He was pretty solid against Pierce for 3 of the games. Or was it just Pierce having some off nights? Who knows.....

He lost us the game last night. I don't think I'm ever going to forgive him if we lose. I don't think I'll ever forgive Jerry West for going with Artest instead of resigning Ariza. I was furious at the time and it appears that it was justified. Artest lost us last night and if he had showed up in Game 5 I think LA has a chance in that one as well.

I don't think Artest has lost the Lakers any games. Sure he hasn't contributed as much as he could offensively, but like I said, he has done a fairly decent job on Pierce. Face it though, guys like Pierce and Kobe are eventually going to get 'theirs'. You had Tony Allen more or less severely limiting Kobe in one of these games only to get schooled last night. Pure scorers are going to eventually beat the defense. The Lakers lost game 5 for two major reasons: they stopped playing defense as a team, and the rest of the team didn't contribute offensively, instead they more or less stood around and watched Kobe go 'lights out' on Boston. So he scores 38, big deal, the rest of the team has to get involved as well. Pierce scored 27 points last night but it was within the flow of the game, he didn't have to make stuff happen like Kobe did. There were other scorers for Boston besides Pierce. You didn't see Pierce making bad shots because he didn't feel the need to, he could pass up a contested shot in favor of an open teammate. Kobe had to (or at least he felt he needed to) make things happen for his team. Another thing going against LA is the fact that their bench is nowhere near as good as Bostons. You can see how Kobe and the other starters are getting a little gassed out there in these games. LA needs for their bench to contribute some points. Vuajic, Farmar, and Odom must do more to contribute. I think Boston HAS TO WIN game 6. No way does LA lose game 7 at home. One thing is for sure, this is a fun series to watch. Still waiting for both teams to play a near perfect game at the same time though.

I don't think Artest has lost the Lakers any games. Sure he hasn't contributed as much as he could offensively, but like I said, he has done a fairly decent job on Pierce. Face it though, guys like Pierce and Kobe are eventually going to get 'theirs'. You had Tony Allen more or less severely limiting Kobe in one of these games only to get schooled last night. Pure scorers are going to eventually beat the defense. The Lakers lost game 5 for two major reasons: they stopped playing defense as a team, and the rest of the team didn't contribute offensively, instead they more or less stood around and watched Kobe go 'lights out' on Boston. So he scores 38, big deal, the rest of the team has to get involved as well. Pierce scored 27 points last night but it was within the flow of the game, he didn't have to make stuff happen like Kobe did. There were other scorers for Boston besides Pierce. You didn't see Pierce making bad shots because he didn't feel the need to, he could pass up a contested shot in favor of an open teammate. Kobe had to (or at least he felt he needed to) make things happen for his team. Another thing going against LA is the fact that their bench is nowhere near as good as Bostons. You can see how Kobe and the other starters are getting a little gassed out there in these games. LA needs for their bench to contribute some points. Vuajic, Farmar, and Odom must do more to contribute. I think Boston HAS TO WIN game 6. No way does LA lose game 7 at home. One thing is for sure, this is a fun series to watch. Still waiting for both teams to play a near perfect game at the same time though.

I agree with everything you said, but I will disagree slightly with Artest. Obviously the Lakers lost last night because they did not play defense in the 3rd quarter. LA went into the 3rd down by 6, had 7 offensive possessions to start the quarter and Kobe scored 18 points, yet somehow they did not cut down the deficit, and instead were then down by 9 I believe.

However, Artest had 3 plays last night that really grinds my gears. 1) Not hustling down the court and settling for the two foul shots after a great player by Kobe and Fisher. 2) Missing 2 free throws that would have given Kobe a chance to tie the game (potentially). That one is self explanatory. 3) He covers Rondo on the inbounds after a BS dive by Pierce, and then decides to leisurely jog down the floor with him letting Rajon sneak in behind him and get the bucket that sealed the deal.

I was more upset last night at Artest than at any point I can remember recently. I'll never forgive Artest for the way he has played the last 2 games if we do not pull this out.

Well whenever you lose there is someone who gets special attention for their stupid plays. Had you guys won, little would have been made of those plays. If you want to look hard enough in that game though, you will find other players who made some boneheaded plays as well. Simply put, I don't think Artest's mistakes led to the Lakers losing; it was a team effort (or lack thereof). How about Kobe picking up some stupid fouls? Where did Gasol go? What about Bynum? Where was Derik Fisher for most of the game? See what I mean.....?

Well whenever you lose there is someone who gets special attention for their stupid plays. Had you guys won, little would have been made of those plays. If you want to look hard enough in that game though, you will find other players who made some boneheaded plays as well. Simply put, I don't think Artest's mistakes led to the Lakers losing; it was a team effort (or lack thereof). How about Kobe picking up some stupid fouls? Where did Gasol go? What about Bynum? Where was Derik Fisher for most of the game? See what I mean.....?

Oh I know what you're saying. Gasol has been so good over the last 3 years though that it's very hard for me to blame him for too much. Bynum is hurt. He played great in the first quarter but just did not have the strength in that knee to continue. I appreciate what he's doing, he's been a warrior, but he just can't play a full 35+ minutes.

I don't know what stupid fouls Kobe picked up except for the 2 at the end that did not end up mattering. For me, obviously it was a team loss, however, Artest had a chance to get us back in that game and failed miserably and didn't even look like he cared or put much effort. Ariza runs down the court and slams that baby home with authority and hustles on Defense. Artest failed to do either and that is what I'm upset about. I hated the signing the day of and I hate it even more now.

Where the hell is Odom? At the beginning of the series I pointed him out as the X factor and he has been NON-EXISTENT. He NEEDS to show up. I don't know if it's a matter of the Celtics bench being better as much as it is the Lakers bench just not playing well. I think Sasha should get more minutes; he's hitting his shots. Odom and Farmar need to step it up, especially Odom with the healthy of Bynum and the lack of anything from Artest.

Hopefully LA pulls this out. I wouldn't be able to stand being where I'm at if the Celtics win it again. It's bad enough already that I had to yell at fellow Red Sox fans through the TV for chanting "beat LA".

Officiating has been all for LA. However it doesn't matter, Celtics are playing like crap and wouldn't be in this even with the officials calling it even. If Kendrick Perkins is out for the remainder of this series, you can pack it in for the Celtics, they don't have a prayer.

Perkins tore two knee ligaments; might as well start making banner 16 for the Staples Center. It majorly sucks when your team makes it this far only to have an injury in the final two games keep you from the prize. I just don't see how Boston has a snow balls chance in hell of winning game 7 without the defense of Kendrick Perkins.

Celtics could have a bigger lead but when you don't score for 5mins at the start of a quarter, it tends to let a team back in it. They also MUST find a way to get second chance points like the Lakers are getting. One thing is for sure though, the Lakers are going to have to score more than 70 points if they plan on having a chance at winning this game.

24 -- Who knew the Lakers were superstitious? Christina Aguilera delivered a win with the national anthem in Game 6 and tries to go back-to-back. Now where are those balloons in the rafters? That would have shown real confidence.

23 -- Did you take a good look at Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson during the introduction of the lineups? Both had full game faces on. Which one was taking his last look from that bench and won't be back next season?

22 -- Boards! Boards! Boards! Lakers set the early tone by hitting the Celtics with everything but a 2x4. L.A. gets multiple shots on each of its first four possessions.

21 -- Andrew Bynum is moving well, has 4 shots, 2 points and 2 rebounds in 6 minutes. Can the Lakers really afford to limit him to 10 minutes per half?

20 -- Well, you'd better be rebounding like mad if you're the Lakers when you start out the game shooting just 4-for-17.

19 -- Raise your hand if you thought the game would be 8 1/2 minutes old before the first bucket by Kobe Bryant (1-for-5) or Paul Pierce (0-for-1)?

18 -- Justin Bieber in the middle of a throng of teen-age girls wouldn't be swarmed and smothered like Kobe by the Celtics.

17 -- The team ahead at the end of the first quarter has won every game of the series. Celtics 23-14.

16 -- Of all the people you might have expected to wilt, was Kobe even on your list? His 1-for-7 first quarter might have been his worst 12 minutes of the entire season. He forced shots. He looked desperate.

15 -- What happened to that 10-minute-per-half limit for Bynum's playing time? It's gone up in an early mushroom cloud of desperation. If Phil is walking into the sunset, why does he care if that right legs falls off?

14 -- When Kevin Garnett went crashing through the expensive seats of the three-time Oscar-winner, was that one flying over the cuckoo's nest? Way to bail out, Jack.

13 -- Artest 4-for-9, Kobe 2-for-11. Will ABC have a microphone in that halftime conversation when Ron-Ron tells Kobe to calm down and play under control.

12 -- "Woof! Woof! Hello, I'm Game 7. Maybe in the second half, I'll roll over and let you rub my belly." For historical perspective, all-time lowest scoring Game 7 in Finals history: Minneapolis Lakers 82, NY Knicks 65. That was in 1952, before the shot clock.

11 -- Artest still leading the way to start the second half for Lakers with a game-high 14 points. Hey, you think Trevor Ariza could do this?

10 -- You can only peddle this great defense stuff so far. The Lakers have played most of this game looking like Bambi when she got her first glimpse of headlights.

9 -- Welcome to Starks-ville, Mr. Bryant (3-for-16).

8 -- 'Sheed keeps happening. He's been solid with low-post scoring and done a fine defensive job on Pau Gasol all night as pinch-hitter in the middle Kendrick Perkins.

7 -- Quick! Who finishes with a higher scorertoday -- Tiger Woods or the winner of Game 7?

6 -- End of 3rd, 57-53 Celtics. 12 minutes to determine a champion and save the good name of basketball.

5 -- Who figured before the series began that Ray Allen would be an offensive flop, but turn into the Kobe-Stopper on defense?

4 -- The Grey Mamba -- Derek Fisher -- strikes with another one of those clutch 3-pointers that have defined his career to tie up at 64-all with 6:12 to go.

I couldn't be more pumped, but I still find myself today wishing football was here. Nothing like a Miami win on a Sunday afternoon.

As for the FT's, you have to remember that the Lakers had a HUGE advantage on the interior, and the Celtics were forced to give a little extra contact on a few occasions. I don't think there were too many bad calls. If you look at the replays, I thought the officiating was actually pretty good. Fish got a couple of BS calls once again, and there was one call I remember that LA got that I thought to myself, 'yeah, nothing there', but for the most part the game was called pretty fair and called the right way. They let them play until there was a clear foul.

how do you explain Gasol jumping, then landing, shooting and scoring, but nobody cares. That's a travel, unless of course I am mistaken.....

Live action it's unnoticeable. That's like nitpicking a ball vs. strike call after seeing the replay with super imposed strike box. He lost control so it could be considered just a tip then rebound. The points were scored, ABC showed the replay, and it's not that nobody cares, it's just nothing to get upset about.

how do you explain Gasol jumping, then landing, shooting and scoring, but nobody cares. That's a travel, unless of course I am mistaken.....

Live action it's unnoticeable. That's like nitpicking a ball vs. strike call after seeing the replay with super imposed strike box. He lost control so it could be considered just a tip then rebound. The points were scored, ABC showed the replay, and it's not that nobody cares, it's just nothing to get upset about.

I agree. It was so close that you just can't call that. You give the shooter the close call just like you do a close call at first base to the defense in baseball, or a 50/50 ball to the WR in football.

I think it's a moot point though. I was blocked and then Pau got the 'rebound'. He could have landed, went back up and shot it and it would have been fine.